Charging an EV Is Easy. Knowing Which Charger to Trust Isn’t.

“Plug and go” got a little less relaxed this year. A new federal highway advisory warns that some foreign-made solar-powered highway gear — traffic cameras, weather stations, and yes, EV chargers — has shown up with hidden cellular radios buried inside inverters and battery systems. Those radios aren’t listed on spec sheets, but they can talk to the outside world and sit right on the same power lines that feed your car.

U.S. energy officials who dug into Chinese-made inverters found undocumented communication devices wired in ways that could bypass normal firewalls and, in a worst case, help shut down parts of the grid. Trade press and technical outlets have echoed the concern, with reports of hidden radios in PV highway gear and growing calls to treat this stuff like critical infrastructure, not just “smart” roadside furniture.

For you, this isn’t a reason to panic every time you roll up to a DC fast charger. It’s a reason to get a little choosy. The risk sits highest with big, solar-backed highway installs bought by the pallet, not with the home wallbox from a reputable brand or a well-maintained urban charging hub. Still, EV charger security is now part of the real-world story of owning an electric car.

How To Charge Smarter, Not Scared

Start with the basics: favor major charging networks over anonymous single-plug units bolted behind a warehouse. Those larger players have real cyber teams and more to lose if something goes wrong. Keep your car’s software up to date; automakers keep hardening charger handshakes and network defenses, and you want those fixes on board.

If a charger looks neglected, half-dead, or completely unbranded, skip it. You’re never desperate enough to trust a random box with both your battery and your data when another station is ten minutes away. EV ownership is supposed to lower your stress level, not hand a mystery device direct access to your car.

My Verdict

You don’t have to live in fear of public EV chargers, but you do need to act like the grown-up in the room. Stick to known networks, keep your car updated, pay attention when states or utilities flag suspect hardware, and walk away from sketchy plugs. That way, you get all the upside of EV life without turning your road trip into somebody else’s security experiment.